In the News

Windows Phone users will soon be able to browse the Web using the Opera Mini browser. The Oslo-based maker of Internet browsers is now asking users to sign up for Opera Mini’s beta group to test the browser. “We know we took a long time, but our test version is now available. Download it, try it and give us your feedback. We’ll listen and make improvements to give you the best browsing experience on your Windows Phone,” the page states.

Life for a managed services provider (MSP) is seldom straightforward. Support staff in the service center have long had to juggle between screens as they log in and out of numerous applications from different vendors in the course of their day-to-day remote management operations. Over the years advances in technology have created ever more diverse technical environments for them to manage. Nowadays it’s commonplace for customers to have a mix of traditional on-premise IT along with mobile devices and the latest cloud-based applications.

The budget friendly Android device from Nokia, the Nokia X2, has been promised to be offered at “lower and lower price points”. Today, India witnessed the original price of Rs 8,200. The Nokia X2 is now another addition to a group of high quality and affordable Android handsets in the Indian market. As mentioned by a Microsoft executive, the company had the intention to bring this device at “lower and lower price points.”

The domain name industry is growing significantly as more and more people in India are getting online. In an exclusive interview with CXOtoday, Rajiv Sodhi, Vice President and Managing Director, GoDaddy India throws light on the trends and challenges in the country’s domain market and how its recent partnership with Microsoft can help small business meet their growing needs. Through this partnership, Microsoft Office 365 offered through GoDaddy will give millions of small businesses access to enterprise-grade productivity solutions at an affordable price.

BharatMatrimony has launched its mobile app on Windows, one of the fastest growing mobile platforms worldwide, to empower the younger generation with the ability to find and connect to prospective matches anytime, anywhere. Navdeep Manaktala, Head Developer Experience, Nokia India Sales Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Devices Group, said, “Keeping true to our focus of delivering relevant and localized experiences to our Lumia consumers, we are glad to have the BharatMatrimony app on the Windows Store.”

Microsoft has extended the data loss prevention (DLP) features in Office 365, making them available for data in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business. Office 365 already had DLP capabilities for Exchange Online and Outlook, so that compliance officers could monitor emails and enforce corporate and regulatory rules about the use of sensitive corporate data. Now administrators will be able to search—and identify policy breaches—for sensitive information types, like credit card numbers, passport data and Social Security information—across SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business.

He is 16, has no formal training in developing mobile phone apps, but has a penchant for it and is already going places. Meet Pratik Mohapatra, a student of National Public School (Koramangala), whose mobile app ‘Resolve’ was adjudged the best in a competition by Microsoft. Developed by Pratik—with a little assistance from his friends—this winning app has earned him a fully-paid trip to the US Formula 1 Grand Prix on November 2, 2014.

Microsoft will provide free remote onboarding services to customers who buy 150 seats or more of Office 365—as part of an update to its Office 365 Fast Track program starting next month. Customers will also be offered free email migrations to Office 365 as part of a special adoption offer. However, Phil Sorgen, Channel Chief, Microsoft, said Partners will have nothing to fear as only basic email migration will be on offer, and the company continues to encourage migrating customers to work with a Microsoft Partner.

In a recent interview, Prakash Kumar, National Technology Officer for Microsoft India, says the most exciting thing about his job is to make technology services available to people through multiple channels. This one man think tank develops technology policy strategies and engagement plans for Microsoft India that address existing and emergent technology issues. As a former IAS officer with 23 years of experience, he engages with the government to help it work out what it needs to deliver its services to citizens more efficiently.

Deshpande Foundation—founded by philanthropist Gururaj Deshpande—and Microsoft Ventures have entered into a three-year partnership to launch ‘Sandbox Startups’, an incubator to nurture technology startups in tier II and III cities of India. The incubator is aimed at providing a launch pad for aspiring entrepreneurs in smaller cities by validating their business ideas, helping them sharpen their business acumen, develop products and launch solutions.